Let that Month sink in, is the last month of any feeling of the classic 2000's and the last month
before the Economy Crashed.

https://cdn.shutterstock.com/shutterstock/videos/533572/thumb/6.jpg

https://img.clipartfest.com/75d6f3172c2b84672cc50dd454ac4a44_stop20clipart-stop-hand-clipart_1300-1300.jpeg

The Beijing Olympics! Still my favourite Olympic games of my lifetime. Sue me!

I still used to get my retro games from local stores instead of online. Some of them went out of business after the recession. The ones that remained were just very expensive.  :(

I still had a CRT in the living room. My parents had an HDTV in their bedroom though. Selfish!

I remember seeing ads for the 2008 election here in Canada. Stephen Harper played one of his ads, and my brother said that he didn't like him. I said I'm cool with him, because he cut taxes and "kept the economy strong". Ha! I was in for a big surprise a month later.

I just remember chilling on the beach, playing soccer, riding my bike around town, watching the Olympics, hanging out at the mall, and I stayed over at my friend's beach-side apartment for like 3 weeks. Didn't even go home LOL. Even though I didn't travel, Summer 2008 is still one of my favourite summers. :)

The party before the crash. ffff

Let that Month sink in, is the last month of any feeling of the classic 2000's and the last month
before the Economy Crashed.


I think that is a good assessment.

A lot of the events and cultural changes that people remember 2008 for took place in September and afterward.  I remember it was September when I heard "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga the first time.  Summer 2008 was really the final hurrah of the '00s.

This song was pretty big that summer.

2tvOTFtGdqs

I personally liked Summer 2009 quite a bit better.  Summer 2009 was quite possibly the best summer of my life (though 2011 comes close).  I had significant anxiety during the summer of 2008 because of the economy and the fact that I knew a layoff was coming.  That layoff did come in November 2008.

I think that is a good assessment.

A lot of the events and cultural changes that people remember 2008 for took place in September and afterward.  I remember it was September when I heard "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga the first time.  Summer 2008 was really the final hurrah of the '00s.

This song was pretty big that summer.

I personally liked Summer 2009 quite a bit better.  Summer 2009 was quite possibly the best summer of my life (though 2011 comes close).  I had significant anxiety during the summer of 2008 because of the economy and the fact that I knew a layoff was coming.  That layoff did come in November 2008.


Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl" also came out in the summer. When I first heard it, I thought she was going to be a bad ass rocker! I would classify it as a pop-rock song. A song like that could only be successful in the 2000s tbh. There's no rock in the 2010s. ;D

Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl" also came out in the summer. When I first heard it, I thought she was going to be a bad ass rocker! I would classify it as a pop-rock song. A song like that could only be successful in the 2000s tbh. There's no rock in the 2010s. ;D


I agree.  Katy Perry is commonly associated with electropop but in my opinion, that applies more to Teenage Dream and on and not so much her first album.

Didn't you make several threads about 2008? I get it. The year was when 2000s culture started to end, but not a lot of people really cared. A lot of people get the memo on what you're saying. However, it's not like anyone fully supports it.

When I think back on shifts in 2008, I've usually thought of September, for obvious reasons. Yet this thread has caused me to think back on August, which I remember vividly and which was probably more eventful in my own life. In July 2008, I had quit a job because the place was going downhill. The feeling that an economic crash was coming was widespread and had been for quite a while. I can recall coworkers talking about a possible depression as early as February 2008. Things were changing in the workplace, likely in preparation for an economic downturn, and the place got pretty crappy. So I left and in August worked two different jobs that turned out to be much worse. I even thought of going back to my previous employer, though in September I found a nice job and it weathered the crash and I stayed.

I can recall the Olympics and watching Michael Phelps win those eight gold medals. That was exciting and it was a good Olympics. Also, I lived in Denver, where the Democratic National Convention occurred in late August, and that was kind of a sign of the times. The city just had a lot of fear. The convention occurred right by the Auraria Campus, which is home to three colleges, and there were rules in place about not being allowed to carry backpacks in the area because they were considered a security breach. There was a lot of talk about whether students could get arrested for carrying backpacks near the convention site, even just off campus, and the rules were never clarified much. That part of the city felt like a police state. Coworkers were telling me that going anywhere near the convention "just sounds like a good way to get yourself arrested." There was a little fenced off free speech zone for protesters. The security around the event gave me a bad impression of the Democratic Party, even though I couldn't stand the Bush Republicans by that time. The disconnect between the hype in the left-wing internet media surrounding the convention, and the feeling of fear in Denver itself, was disorienting.

The only other time I had seen such security in Denver, and it wasn't as bad as 2008, was on New Year's Eve 1999 for the Millennium celebration. My sister, her boyfriend, and myself went to the 16th Street Mall downtown, which is like the center of gravity for activity in Denver, around 11 PM for the celebrations, and the mall, a two-mile long open air strip in downtown, was deserted aside from police in riot gear lined up about twenty feet apart along the entire length of it. The mayor had decided that Denver would celebrate "the real millennium" in 2001 and city celebrations were toned down enormously, and riot police put in place, for the 2000 celebration. The 2001 New Year turned out to be lame and lots of locals felt cheated out of a proper millennium celebration.

Anyway, late August 2008 was like that in Denver - really weird, lots of security, things didn't feel right. August was very sunny and warm, and Denver in general has a relaxed California vibe, so aside from politics and economics, and the feeling of foreboding change in the culture, it would have been an awesome time. But instead it just seemed "off."

September came, the convention was gone, the weather was still sunny and warm, and things felt normal aside from the subtle expectation of coming doom in the way people talked. I found a cool job, and then the crash came and took over the headlines and people's economic fears, only hinted at before, became normal conversation. So yeah, August 2008 is very memorable. I hadn't stopped before to collect all the memories I have of that single month until I read this thread, but I have far more memories of that month than of most months in my life, and it's not like I had any clear sense at the time that it would be a turning point. But in retrospect it was, both nationally and for myself, and this is probably why I remember it so clearly. At some level I knew something was up.

I started my Facebook account that year!  :)

All I know is that the 2008/2009 crash became one of the most famous crashes, in line with 1929, 1973, 1987, and 2000.

Michael Phelps was the man of the month in August 2008. Then a year later he was caught smoking a bong and everyone turned on him ;D

The Beijing Olympics! Still my favourite Olympic games of my lifetime. Sue me!

I still used to get my retro games from local stores instead of online. Some of them went out of business after the recession. The ones that remained were just very expensive.  :(

I still had a CRT in the living room. My parents had an HDTV in their bedroom though. Selfish!

I remember seeing ads for the 2008 election here in Canada. Stephen Harper played one of his ads, and my brother said that he didn't like him. I said I'm cool with him, because he cut taxes and "kept the economy strong". Ha! I was in for a big surprise a month later.

I just remember chilling on the beach, playing soccer, riding my bike around town, watching the Olympics, hanging out at the mall, and I stayed over at my friend's beach-side apartment for like 3 weeks. Didn't even go home LOL. Even though I didn't travel, Summer 2008 is still one of my favourite summers. :)

The party before the crash. ffff


I had an awesome summer in 2008, too. In August, just before the crash, I had a great part-time job getting paid $15 an hour to help remodel a house, and was totally flush with cash. I spent that whole summer buying dozens of video games, CD's, and other various electronic goodies. Best of all, this coincided with my 21st birthday that July, so I had plenty of extra money to spend once I could (legally that is) start going in bars.

Then I got laid off in November. :(

I remember August 2008 very well. I was 9 years old and that Summer was amazing. For most of that Summer, I was in St. Maarten on vacation and spending time with my godfather. I was involved in a dance competition in which my group won and as a prize we got to go see Kung Fu Panda in theaters for FREE. I remember every kid wanted to see Kung Fu Panda and it was amazing. Then, of course during the month of August 2008, nothing dominated the news more than the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. That Olympics was the first that I EVER watched and what a fantastic Olympics it was (it's still my favorite Olympic game). Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt were the KINGS of that Olympics and it was amazing to watch them dominate AS IT HAPPENED. You also had Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin killing it in Gymnastics and I remember having a huge crush on both of them. It's crazy that Beijing will host the 2022 Winter Olympics.

I also remember the buzz surrounding then-Senator Obama and his rise to Democratic Presidential nominee and the historical implications the 2008 US Presidential Election had. Fun times. I wish I could relive the Summer of 2008.

I had an awesome summer in 2008, too. In August, just before the crash, I had a great part-time job getting paid $15 an hour to help remodel a house, and was totally flush with cash. I spent that whole summer buying dozens of video games, CD's, and other various electronic goodies. Best of all, this coincided with my 21st birthday that July, so I had plenty of extra money to spend once I could (legally that is) start going in bars.

Then I got laid off in November. :(


The best thing about summer 2008 for me was playing the Wii all day when I was 12. Mainly for Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Mario Galaxy. I got Mario Kart Wii in August 2008 right before school came back, and 7th grade was a totally weird and different year compared to 6th grade. The vibe felt completely different of course because we all know how the 2008-09 season turned out in our country. I remember when it snowed in Georgia again in winter 2009 and wholy crap that was a record for as long I'd been alive.

I also remember the buzz surrounding then-Senator Obama and his rise to Democratic Presidential nominee and the historical implications the 2008 US Presidential Election had. Fun times. I wish I could relive the Summer of 2008.


Yeah, I followed the 2008 election really closely, too. The exciting primary race between Obama and Hillary, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright controversy, John McCain's seven houses, the Sarah Palin fiasco, Joe the Plummer. I still think 2008 was the most exciting election of my lifetime, even more so than 2016. Of course, 2008 was the first election I could legally vote in, so perhaps that makes it seem more significant to me.


The best thing about summer 2008 for me was playing the Wii all day when I was 12. Mainly for Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Mario Galaxy. I got Mario Kart Wii in August 2008 right before school came back, and 7th grade was a totally weird and different year compared to 6th grade. The vibe felt completely different of course because we all know how the 2008-09 season turned out in our country. I remember when it snowed in Georgia again in winter 2009 and wholy crap that was a record for as long I'd been alive.


I didn't get a Wii until 2009, even though I did have enough money to get one before then. I guess you could say that, because I got burned on the Gamecube not having as many great games as the PS2 and Xbox, I was still skeptical about just how successful the Wii would ultimately be.

I did think Super Mario Galaxy was awesome, though. Between 2007 and finally getting a Wii in 2009, I used to actually make special trips to video game stores like EB and Game Stop just so I could play it on the store demos. ;D Galaxy still holds up well, too. It's one of the five best games of the 2000's to me, and that's saying something.

I had an awesome summer in 2008, too. In August, just before the crash, I had a great part-time job getting paid $15 an hour to help remodel a house, and was totally flush with cash. I spent that whole summer buying dozens of video games, CD's, and other various electronic goodies. Best of all, this coincided with my 21st birthday that July, so I had plenty of extra money to spend once I could (legally that is) start going in bars.

Then I got laid off in November. :(


(I'm on to you...  :-X)

Damn. So that makes you, Chris and Stillinthe90s who got laid off in 2008. I also got laid off, but in April 2009.  :\'( (but I was still a teenager so obviously not as serious)

I got promoted to cashier at the grocery store earlier in the spring. I was allowed to choose which of the pre-selected hours I wanted to come into work. I'd pick two days, work 10 hours, and chill the other 5 days. It was minimum wage ($9/hr) but my parent subsidized half my expenses because of my good grades, so I was living like a king for a high schooler!

The DS games were so cheap, $30-$35 each, $45-$50 for Japanese imports. I bought one almost every week! The PS2 games were on sale as stores were trying to get rid of their stock. I managed to get a lot of gems for $10-$20. My brother bought games for the Xbox 360 so I got to play a lot of those too. I bought a USB controller to play SNES/Genesis games on emulator (:-X). It was video game heaven!

I never had any 7th gen consoles but I remember being quite into Bioshock for PC during Summer 2008.  It was one of the highlights of my gaming career.  "Would you kindly?"

I never had any 7th gen consoles but I remember being quite into Bioshock for PC during Summer 2008.  It was one of the highlights of my gaming career.  "Would you kindly?"


It has one of the best opening scenes of any game I've ever played.

QfZ30sfjdLY

The month I went to secondary school! Led to the best years of my life! So I think of it fondly  ;D It felt like the mid 2000's were being left behind in late 2008 pop culturally but I guess my personal life largely influenced that view as well.

The month I went to secondary school! Led to the best years of my life! So I think of it fondly  ;D It felt like the mid 2000's were being left behind in late 2008 pop culturally but I guess my personal life largely influenced that view as well.


I can definitely understand that.  Huge personal transitions can greatly influence your perception of an era and its culture.  For me, a sudden change in my personal life in 2013 from great to crappy influenced my perception of the mid '10s vs early '10s.

To me, 2008 was the last hurrah of the '00s.  I feel a disconnect in my own life between 2008 and everything before it and everything since 2009.

I don't remember much about August but I do remember 2008 as a whole being a good year for me. I transferred to Japan in February, which was the beginning of the best years of my life. The vibe and music was good too, and I remember playing Smash Bros for the Wii, and GTA IV for the PS3. I also enjoyed the Beijing Olympics, and I was excited and happy when Obama got elected. It gave me a feeling of hope and optimism.

August 2008 was actually when I first got Facebook! So yeah I do find that month really changeful. The economy collapsed soon after then Lady Gaga was constantly on the radio and Obama got elected. But the start of the change can be traced back earlier in the year too with Katy Perry's song I Kissed a Girl and even some songs released in 2007 that got popular in 2008. 2008 was the start of the electro autotune trend musically.

August 2008 was actually when I first got Facebook! So yeah I do find that month really changeful. The economy collapsed soon after then Lady Gaga was constantly on the radio and Obama got elected. But the start of the change can be traced back earlier in the year too with Katy Perry's song I Kissed a Girl and even some songs released in 2007 that got popular in 2008. 2008 was the start of the electro autotune trend musically.


August 2008 is all but a distant memory

Summer 08 was like the calm before the storm.

August 2008 was also the last time that anybody thought John McCain actually had a chance to beat Barack Obama in the presidential election. After he picked Palin as his running mate in late August, there was actually a moment where he and Obama were tied in the polls, and some pundits were saying he might win.

Of course, we all know what happened next. ;D

August 2008 was also the last time that anybody thought John McCain actually had a chance to beat Barack Obama in the presidential election. After he picked Palin as his running mate in late August, there was actually a moment where he and Obama were tied in the polls, and some pundits were saying he might win.

Of course, we all know what happened next. ;D

I remember in August 2008 I went to this trip to BC with my family. It actually feels recent when I remember that time but I can't believe it is almost 10 years ago. That's just crazy how time seems to fly by so much quicker as you get older. A decade used to feel like a lifetime ago until recently. Now it's not even that far back and I think what have I been doing with my life in the last decade. Funny how your perspective changes as you get older.

I joined this website on August 17, 2008.  ;D  ;D  ;D

I'd put this a year earlier. August 2007 was probably the last month that felt truly like the 00's. This may seem unnecessary, but here's what I would say were the last months to have the 'classic' feeling of other cultural decades;

September 1962 - Last Month That Felt Like The Classic 50's
Last month before the Cuban missile crisis, The Beatles first single and the first James Bond movie.

March 1970 - Last Month That Felt Like The Classic 60's
Last month before the Beatles break-up.

June 1979 - Last Month That Felt Like The Classic 70's
Last month before the disco demolition.

December 1988 - Last Month That Felt Like The Classic 80's
Last full month Ronald Reagan was still in office.

August 1997 - Last Month That Felt Like The Classic 90's
Last month before internet began to rise and when teen pop got more popular.

I agree, August 2008 was probably the last month that felt truly like the 00's. This may seem unnecessary, but here's what I would say were the last months to have the 'classic' feeling of other cultural decades;

September 1962 - Last Month That Felt Like The Classic 50's
Last month before the Cuban missile crisis, The Beatles first single and the first James Bond movie.

March 1970 - Last Month That Felt Like The Classic 60's
Last month before the Beatles break-up.

June 1979 - Last Month That Felt Like The Classic 70's
Last month before the disco demolition.

December 1988 - Last Month That Felt Like The Classic 80's
Last full month Ronald Reagan was still in office.

August 1997 - Last Month That Felt Like The Classic 90's
Last month before internet began to rise and when teen pop got more popular.


The 90s felt like they were over by September 1997 to be honest so I agree with this

But yeah August 2008 was the last time we ever felt the classic 2000s

The 90s felt like they were over by September 1997 to be honest so I agree with this

But yeah August 2008 was the last time we ever felt the classic 2000s

Why is that? Because of Princess Diana?

Why is that? Because of Princess Diana?


Things just started feeling different, Backstreet boys/Hanson started taking over, the ps1 n64 wars

The 90s felt like they were over by September 1997 to be honest so I agree with this

But yeah August 2008 was the last time we ever felt the classic 2000s

Princess Diana's death on 31 August 1997 was a tragic end to a bad decade (or mini-decade) for the British royals!

The classic 00's didn't end until 2009. That was when social media sites like Facebook became big and celebrities were joining Twitter enmass.


I remember seeing ads for the 2008 election here in Canada. Stephen Harper played one of his ads, and my brother said that he didn't like him. I said I'm cool with him, because he cut taxes and "kept the economy strong". Ha! I was in for a big surprise a month later.

The party before the crash. ffff

The only surprise was the revelation that Alberta oil and the real estate bubble were the only things keeping the Canadian economy strong. Harper put all our eggs in one basket, and while his tactics at the time got us through the 2008 recession relatively unscathed, it eventually led us straight into a bad commodity crash in the mid 2010s that many still haven't recovered from.

That Canadian election in 2008 was really forgettable. It was another minority and the results were similar and it wasn't very interesting so for me the American election kind of overshadowed it that year. 2011 was an awesome election though when NDP got over 100 seats and made history being official opposition. RIP Jack Layton.

The classic 00's didn't end until 2009. That was when social media sites like Facebook became big and celebrities were joining Twitter enmass.
The only surprise was the revelation that Alberta oil and the real estate bubble were the only things keeping the Canadian economy strong. Harper put all our eggs in one basket, and while his tactics at the time got us through the 2008 recession relatively unscathed, it eventually led us straight into a bad commodity crash in the mid 2010s that many still haven't recovered from.


2008

2008

2008 wasn't any different from 2006.

2008 wasn't any different from 2006.

Late 2008 was. It was a transitional year.

2008 wasn't any different from 2006.


2008 was SLIGHTLY different from 2006, particularly as the year progressed. However, they're still very similar years which belong in same time period. 2008 ended the core 2000s and started the electropop era which would last through to the early 10s.

Much of that began near the beginning of 2009.

Much of that began near the beginning of 2009.

Obama got elected in 2008, electropop started in late 2008 as Lady Gaga came on the radio in October, and the great recession started in September of 2008. So how exactly did it start in early 2009?

I remember August 2008. The Olympics and end of W. Bush administration. Also, some personal events that happened like my grandmother making top winnings in a casino on 08/08/08 and landing a spot on the front of the local newspaper and me just starting middle school as a sixth grader.

Obama got elected in 2008, electropop started in late 2008 as Lady Gaga came on the radio in October, and the great recession started in September of 2008. So how exactly did it start in early 2009?

The recession didn't immediately signal the end of the core 00's, especially since it wasn't as severe in some places. I remember the atmosphere at Christmas 2008 clear as day since that was when I got my first DS. People flooded the malls looking for gifts, it definitely felt like any other 00's year. Lady gaga only had two hits that year. The entire reason she stood out was because she was the only electropop artist in 2008. Even later electropop icons like Katy Perry and Tayler Swift were doing rock and country at the time. And Obama wasn't inaugurated until 2009 which is why Bush was blamed entirely for the recession in the first place.

The only surprise was the revelation that Alberta oil and the real estate bubble were the only things keeping the Canadian economy strong. Harper put all our eggs in one basket, and while his tactics at the time got us through the 2008 recession relatively unscathed, it eventually led us straight into a bad commodity crash in the mid 2010s that many still haven't recovered from.


Oh, I know, I'm no fan of Harper anymore. This was in the summer of 2008, before the recession and the economy was really strong.


That Canadian election in 2008 was really forgettable. It was another minority and the results were similar and it wasn't very interesting so for me the American election kind of overshadowed it that year. 2011 was an awesome election though when NDP got over 100 seats and made history being official opposition. RIP Jack Layton.


My mom and brother got to meet Jack Layton at his Toronto campaign launch in the summer of 2008. I was so jealous! His riding was right next to ours. He was in Toronto—Danforth and we were in Beaches—East York. At least I got to vote for him in 2011. He was my first vote (or rather, the NDP MP was). I'm proud to say he was my first political love, he took my vote virginity.  :-[

Oh, I know, I'm no fan of Harper anymore. This was in the summer of 2008, before the recession and the economy was really strong.

It was even stronger from 2009 onward.

It was even stronger from 2009 onward.


Err, not in Ontario. 2005-2008 were the high times. 2009-2015 was recession era.

Err, not in Ontario. 2005-2008 were the high times. 2009-2015 was recession era.

Ontario on a national level has been lagging since 2003.
https://goo.gl/i23bR9

But by 2012, it's economy was alot better than it was in 2015.

Ontario on a national level has been lagging since 2003.
https://goo.gl/i23bR9

But by 2012, it's economy was alot better than it was in 2015.


Lagging is not the same as a recession. Ontario's economy was slightly better in 2015 than in 2012 but not by much. 2016 was when things started picking up and the economy is on fire now in 2017.

The economy still sucks here. But it's slowly improving.

The economy still sucks here. But it's slowly improving.


that is good to hear

I was 18 back then, a few months before my 19th birthday.

I do even have a pic of myself from back then, what the hell I'll put it up!

Scratch that, files are too big. 128kb, what kinda a limit is that? A shame but oh well.

I remember handing out window cleaning flyers and trying to do this crappy pyramid selling scheme called "Kleeneze". The advertisement I answered just mentioned leaflet distribution! I lost money on it and quit it as soon as possible.

Man it was hard to get a job back then! The fact that I attended a special needs school and left without my diplomas didn't help I guess.

I was so desperate for a job, I didn't get one until the following year.

One of my main regrets was not having a job and money during my teenage years.

I feel like I've not got enough memories as a result from that era!

Can't believe it will be 10 years next year. Where does the time go, I want to be 18 again!

I was 18 back then, a few months before my 19th birthday.

I do even have a pic of myself from back then, what the hell I'll put it up!

Scratch that, files are too big. 128kb, what kinda a limit is that? A shame but oh well.


You can upload it on flickr (which is free) and then share the link to it on here. It accepts all file sizes.

The economy still sucks here. But it's slowly improving.